


Five Ways The Prodigal Son Comes Home (and One Way He Doesn't)

by scrollgirl



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: 5 Things, Community: sg1_five_things, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-09
Updated: 2008-12-09
Packaged: 2017-10-06 22:24:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrollgirl/pseuds/scrollgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five ways John reconciled with his brother. (Yes, I'm slightly obsessed with "Outcast".)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Ways The Prodigal Son Comes Home (and One Way He Doesn't)

**1.**

After they settle Ava into the virtual environment, John tells Ronon he's taking bereavement leave after all. He books himself into a hotel, because he's not going to impose on his brother after four years of silence, and also because leaving an avenue of retreat is second nature. He takes a cab to his father's house.

There's a moment right after the front door opens, before Dave registers who's standing there, that John considers running away really, really fast. Or calling _Apollo_ for an emergency transport. But then Dave has seen him -- is staring at him -- surprised but not angry, and John can only stare back, a little embarrassed, a lot uncertain.

Another moment passes, then Dave smiles and says, "Come in," but what John hears is, "You're home."

 

**2.**

John blames it on the tears Jeannie's fighting back as she watches Rodney's video message from before the siege. He sees something of himself in this kind and brilliant housewife from Vancouver, the same hurt and anger and sense of betrayal over being rejected because of one's personal choices. He wonders, then, whether Dave has the same regrets as Rodney, whether Dave would tape a goodbye message for him in the face of certain demise.

Picturing Dave being tortured and drained by the Wraith makes John go a little crazy, and he shoots off an email before he can think twice. For three days the email sits in the queue waiting to get compressed into the weekly data burst, but John forces himself to pretend it's not there until the message is sent.

A week later there's an email from his brother with an mpeg file attached, a video of his nieces out in the paddock with the horses. Again and again John watches Anna take her pony over a series of verticals and oxers with a double combination to finish -- a perfect course jumped with boldness and style. The next time Rodney starts showing off pictures of Madison and talking about her like she's the second coming of Marie Curie, John figures -- what the hell. If McKay can play demented uncle, why can't he?

 

**3.**

Mitchell takes him to O'Malley's one night after the Ancients kick them out of Atlantis. The next morning he finds this in his inbox:

> To: john.sheppard@peterson.af.mil  
> From: dsheppard@sheppardenterprises.com  
> Subject: Re: Hi
> 
> We're doing very well, thank you. Lauren is getting back into her charity work now that Emily is old enough for preschool. Anna keeps shooting up over night and very soon we'll have to switch her to riding Starburst.
> 
> The company is doing well. Dad still comes into the office every day, but Dr. Riley is on his case to cut back to just mornings. His heart's not what it used to be.
> 
> How are you, John? I have to admit I'm surprised to hear from you after so long, but I'm glad you emailed and that you're safely back home. I didn't even know you'd been redeployed overseas. Based on your email address, I'm going to assume you're stationed at Peterson now? Maybe if you get a weekend pass you'll come visit?
> 
> Looking forward to hearing from you again.
> 
> Dave
> 
> &gt;&gt; To: dsheppard@sheppardenterprises.com  
>  &gt;&gt; From: john.sheppard@peterson.af.mil  
>  &gt;&gt; Subject: Hi
> 
> &gt;&gt; Just wanted to let you know I'm stateside again. The former  
>  &gt;&gt; occupants of the base I was stationed at decided to kick us  
>  &gt;&gt; out. How are you? How are Lauren and the kids? I hope you're  
>  &gt;&gt; doing well.
> 
> &gt;&gt; John
> 
> &gt;&gt; P.S. I'm pretty fucking drunk right now. Feel free to ignore  
>  &gt;&gt; me.

**4.**

The call comes in the middle of dinner. "Honey?" Lauren takes the cordless from his hand and places it back on the stand. "What's wrong?"

"That was the Air Force Academy Hospital." Dave stares blankly at the wall behind his wife. "My brother is dying. They need me to fly out there right away."

An airman drives Dave directly to the hospital, keeping a respectful silence the whole time except to offer to turn up the heat. It's early spring and the pre-dawn mountain air is damp and chill. There's another airman waiting to escort him to John's room, which is a private room with a window overlooking some trees, a good deal nicer than Dave would expect for a military facility. But then it occurs to him that this is the room John's going to die in, and he almost falls over before he manages to plant his ass in the visitor chair.

Dave finally looks down at his big brother laid out on the bed, pale and bruised and still. White bandages cover most of his skull and his head's been shaved clean -- which Dave finds unaccountably horrific, as if one of John's limbs has been amputated.

"I thought we'd get another chance," he whispers, and clutches at John's wrist like he can get him to stay. He sits like this for a while -- he doesn't keep track of the time -- until loud voices in the hall draw his attention.

A doctor, dark-haired and pretty, beckons him outside. "Mr. Sheppard, I'm Dr. Lam," she says, shaking his hand. "I'm sorry for the interruption, but we need to run a couple of tests on John."

He wants to protest that John should be left in peace and don't they have any respect for the dying? But the doctor talks about "encouraging brain activity" and "experimental treatment" with a growing sense of urgency, so Dave bites his tongue and retreats to the waiting room.

There are a few people either huddled on the couches or prowling the room. One of the prowlers is Ronon, the twenty-something with dreads John brought to Dad's funeral. But Ronon makes no move to greet him, and the others don't seem to realise who Dave is here for. Maybe they don't even know John has a brother.

Dave waits in numb silence, the murmur of voices washing over him like the Pacific surf John loves so much. Eventually Dr. Lam comes in with a tired smile. "He's going to make it," she announces to the room at large. "He's got a long recovery ahead of him, but he's going to be just fine."

Weak-kneed with relief, Dave is ridiculously grateful he's already sitting down. Thank God. He has a second chance with John after all.

 

**5.**

Dave opens the door to find two Air Force officers in dress blues. _No_, he wants to protest, _not John_. But all the breath has left his body and he has no voice with which to speak. As though from a very great distance he hears a woman telling him about John.

"Mr. Sheppard, I regret to inform you..."

The ranking officer is an attractive blonde about John's age, all sincere blue eyes and strong, compassionate voice, and it's funny, Dave realises, because there are eagles on her shoulders.

"...that your brother was killed in action..."

The last he'd heard, John had been exiled to Antarctica for disobeying a direct order. John was a wash-up, a screw-up. Dad had gone to his grave grieving for his firstborn's lost potential.

"...nine days ago, on Sunday, June 28..."

But that had been years ago. If the Air Force is sending a colonel to Dave's doorstep to tell him about his brother, then maybe John got a second chance to make something of himself.

"...and though I wish I could tell you more about how he died," the colonel says with genuine regret, "I want you to know that John died with courage and honour to protect innocent lives. He was a great leader and a true friend, and we will miss him very much."

Then she hands him a thick manila envelope with his name on the front in John's handwriting. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

 

**6.**

Dave gets an email out of the blue:  


> To: dsheppard@sheppardenterprises.com  
> From: john.sheppard@peterson.af.mil  
> Subject: Surprise
> 
> Guess what? I have a kid. Her name is Eleanor, after Cam's grandmother. We still haven't decided whether the last name will be Sheppard-Mitchell or Mitchell-Sheppard.
> 
> Oh yeah. I also have a boyfriend. He's the father of my child, actually, which is way more complicated than I can explain without divulging classified information. Suffice it to say we're in it for the long haul. Rodney says we should move to Canada and get married for real, but Cam likes his job too much and I'm hoping I can get my old job back once Ellie is a little older.
> 
> Anyway, we've bought a house in Colorado Springs and there's a guest room if you want to come visit. Bring Lauren and the girls. Cam is big on family and he really wants to meet you. In fact, the entire Mitchell clan wants to meet you. (Yes, be afraid. Be very afraid. They'll hug you and call you on Sundays and make you eat pie.)
> 
> In case it's not obvious, I've totally lost my mind.
> 
> John
> 
> P.S. Sorry for being an asshole for so many years. I really hope you'll visit.

When Dave gets into the office the next morning, the first thing he does is tell his executive assistant to block some time off in his calendar. "I've got a family thing," he says, smiling and looking years younger.

**Author's Note:**

> _"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"_
> 
> ~ Luke 15:31-32 ([The Parable of the Lost Son](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=31))


End file.
